Inspiring Story Of Homeless Golfer From Enfield Creates National Buzz

ENFIELD, CT — In a back section of the 2014 Enrico Fermi High School yearbook, seniors listed their school accomplishments and their favorite quotes. Mike Sweeney used a saying from Sir Winston Churchill - "Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about" - which has never proven so true as it has in a whirlwind past week, which has seen him suddenly become a national figure on the professional golfing circuit.

All the major golf media outlets - Golf Digest, CBS Sports, USA Today, The Golf Channel - picked up on the story of Sweeney's incredible journey from Enfield to living in his car in a Walmart parking lot to qualifying for a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in Alabama. He made eagle from a greenside bunker at the final hole of the HomeTown Lenders Championship qualifier to earn his way into a 5-man playoff for the final two spots, then clinched a berth in the Huntsville stop on the Korn Ferry Tour, the developmental circuit of the PGA Tour.

Sweeney created further buzz during the opening round of the tournament, using a 4-iron to record a hole-in-one at the 13th hole. Alas, his good fortune did not last, as he shot 69-73 for a 2-day total of 142, missing the 36-hole cut by five strokes.

To say Sweeney's pursuit of his pro golfing dream has been an unconventional one would be an understatement. A backup ice hockey goaltender during his freshman year at Fermi, he found his sporting niche on the links, earning All-Central Connecticut Conference East honors four times and placing in a tie for 15th at the Division II state championships in his senior year.

His high school coach, Matt Gaffney, told Patch, "I ran into him not long ago and he is really the same kid - funloving, nice and not taking life too seriously."

Unlike most players who make it to the professional game, Sweeney eschewed playing collegiately. He turned pro in 2018 and moved to Florida, living with his dad under an agreement that allowed him to stay until he turned 25. When that time came, he was on his own, and opted to move into the back seat of his car, with a Walmart parking lot his locale of choice.

"I either had to pay to play golf or pay for a place to live," he said in one of his numerous interviews last week. "I couldn't really afford to do both, so I'm going to put the money in golf."

The aspiring rap artist has worked a succession of jobs while pursuing his golf career, including a stint at a Subway sandwich shop. He currently works in the cart shed at The Florida Club in the southeastern part of the Sunshine State.

He was barely able to scrape together the $500 required to enter the HTL qualifier, and missing the cut meant he did not earn a paycheck at the event. Still, he presses on, preparing for the start of the PGA Tour Canada season, for which he has earned full status for the summer of 2023.

The 10-event PGA Tour Canada schedule opens June 12 in British Columbia, with the final regular season stop being the only U.S.-based tournament in Brainard, Minnesota beginning Aug. 28. The following week, the season's top players compete for the Fortinet Cup Championship.